@rajbgp
IMO, investing some time in browsing the Fall 2022 admission cycle results thread will shed some light on BSDM/BSDO programs you can apply to.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/t/bs-md-bs-do-results-fall-2022-applicants/3607522/999
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@rajbgp , based on your other inputs to @cheer2021
I think your ACT score is good but if you can top it with one more attempt then it will be good.
Your overall portfolio is good
If possible, take another shot at ACT to get more
Based on what i have seen (there is NO HARD RULE) , the avg ACT that too for ORM is around 34 or higher (this doesnât mean folks donât get with less than 34 it means the odds are better)
Good luck
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thank you
@rajbgp Agree with what @cheer2021 said.
Your GPA is potentially competitive, but your ACT is on the lower side.
So, apply broadly to at least about 12-15 programs.
Unless the Nebraska program explicitly excludes your racial/ethnic background, apply to it.
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Just to be a realist, ACT score 32 is too low for an Indian ORM. There is no one factor which will determine your success but stats do factor in initial screening. Raise your ACT to 35-36 to be competitive. There is always a regular path to becoming a MD. D is currently in M2.
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Why would one spend 6.5 years to finish a MD when one can get an MBBS in less time starting from high school in India (NRIâs kids)? It does not take 0.5 years but 5 weeks to prepare for USMLE 1 for US medical students.
This one gives opportunity do clinicals in US, gives good advantage over those who studied in India only.
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Since, it is in Antigua based MD, one is still considered an IMG and has to go through that route. Sure, it helps during residency process.
Yes, difference is US experience and LORs.
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Got to be careful with all these Caribbean (Grenada, Antigua) stuff.
Research on the horror stories ⊠i wouldnât (personally risk it) touch.
JMHO⊠please double/triple check before committing to that route
does anyone know how baylor2baylor applications are reviewed? does the medical school only see both the baylor2baylor application and undergrad application?
what are your thoughts on how to approach the undergrad supplemental vs the baylor2baylor one?
undergrad: What are you looking for in a university, why do you want to attend Baylor, and how do you see yourself contributing to the Baylor community?
baylor2baylor: Why do you want to pursue your career in medicine at Baylor University and Baylor College of Medicine?
These questions are self-explanatory.
What is your hold-up?
@rajbgp. - You mentioned that you are a senior. So, looks like you are applying this year? Itâs already october. Do you already have a bunch of programs in your list- the deadlines of Nov-1 or Nov-15 are coming up fast.
Your research experience is good. your GPA is really good 3.97 uw and 4.76 w. APS are 6 so that also is a good number. I am not sure if you have enough time to improve on what you already haveâŠWhatever time you have, you should focus on writing good essays and putting together a great application, requesting LORs, etc.
If possible, sign up for the next ACT and take it again. Practice the exams a couple of times before taking the test!
Apply to UKMC 6 years bsmd, oklahoma ba/md, Apply to Early assurance programs like SLU Early-Assurance, and definitely to a bunch of BSDO programs like NSU-COM, MSUCOM, KCOM, LECOM (see list Dr. Rubenâs bsdo programs)
You didnât mention any non-medical ECâs? These also will count so if you are doing these for years - do mention them in the application!
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@rajbgp
IMO, you should not apply to BSMD with your ACT score. It is a time consuming grueling process for most applicants. You should consider the probability of success with your ACT score 32 ( non-competitive for ORMs) unless you have some built-in advantage like in-state preference.
Contrary to the advice given here, you should go to UG school and then decide whether you want to apply to medical school during UG (preferably in Junior year).
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Usually, UG first processes your application and then sends the whole package to the medical school for further consideration. Yes, medical school will have access to everything. If in doubt, call UG admissions office.
Most American US students finance their medical education by taking loans except for a few lucky ones who do not have to. Most will get full COA loans as a combination of Direct Graduate Plus loan and Federal Unsubsidized loan. It teaches student financial responsibility and financial management. Some have rich parents who will pay for their medical education.
Here is an article (unknown author) about AAMC moving towards Holistic approach in medical school admissions. Having 13 ORMs out of total 16 in a BSMD class is NOT a true reflection of society whom these future doctors will serve.
Improvements and changes
A little over a century after the Flexner Report, medical schools have heard, and they are starting to change.
Donald Barr points to a 2013 article in the New England Journal of Medicine on how the AAMC is shifting towards a more âholistic reviewâ of medical school applicants. In one table, desirable physician traits such as âcommitment to service,â âempathy,â âcapacity for growth,â and âemotional resilienceâ are mapped onto application data elements like history of engagement with service, essays and letters of reference, adversities overcome and âdistance traveledâ in life experiences. âIntellectual ability,â shown in part by âacademic record,â is just one of many components in a holistic applicant.
He also pointed out that the MCAT has changed from assessing âscience recallâ to âscience competency.â It now has a section on the psychological and social foundations of behavior. And it focuses on the chemistry and physics relevant to biologic systems. As Barr notes, âMed schools are beginning to drop course requirements in lieu of demonstrated competency, leaving it more up to the students to figure out how to take the courses that will help them learn the material.â Stanford Medicine, for instance, âdoes not have specific course requirements, but a recommended preparation for the study of medicine.â
Of course, the way we teach introductory science courses and how we onboard students interested in pursuing medicine can be improved. âThere are many types of changes [we can make],â said Barr. âCurricular changes, changes in how you evaluate applicants, but also changes in the mindset of students who are thinking about being doctors â so you donât feel like if you got a C+ in a science course, thatâs it for your chances of being a doctor.â
recommended preparation for the study of medicine.â
Of course, the way we teach introductory science courses and how we onboard students interested in pursuing medicine can be improved. âThere are many types of changes [we can make],â said Barr. âCurricular changes, changes in how you evaluate applicants, but also changes in the mindset of students who are thinking about being doctors â so you donât feel like if you got a C+ in a science course, thatâs it for your chances of being a doctor.â
Barr points out Harvardâs two semester Life Sciences foundational courses, implemented in 2006. Courses are jointly taught by the chemistry and biology departments, designed to account for studentsâ different high school science backgrounds and enable students to take more focused pathways into science based on their personal interests.
Cohen suggests a survey course about the journey to becoming a doctor. âA lot of people decide to drop pre-med based on chemistry, which is not representative of the career,â he said. âI would much rather that Stanford offered some kind of course to give people a better sense of what pre-med or being a doctor was actually like, rather than students dropping out based on a chemistry course that has very little relation to what youâd actually be doing from day to day.â
Changes are being made. Though there isnât yet data to see what impact they will have, we must continue to provide feedback and work towards a new paradigm of what is means to be a doctor, and who gets to become a doctor. And paramount to this effort are students themselves, and how they believe pre-med will serve them as they go forward to careers in medicine and elsewhere.
Going forward
But as changes are being made, what do we do in the meanwhile? Whether or not you decide to make a four- or 14- or 20-year plan, remember that you are capable. Remember to look for support outside of advising, and collaborate. Do not be daunted by classes, hold the sunk cost principle to heart, and donât be afraid to drop out or stay in.
Pre-med dropouts and diehard pre-meds alike have some words of wisdom:
- Give it a shot â but donât feel that youâre bound to it
- In fact, donât commit to pre-med until your sophomore or junior year
- Spread the requirements out â donât feel rushed about finishing everything
- Explore everything you can
- Immerse yourself in what a physician does day-to-day
- Remember there are innumerable equally (or more) impactful careers out there
- Things that feel useless can still be useful down the line
- Be passionate about things that need to be fixed
- Be passionate. Period.
- Donât feel sad. Donât feel pressured. Donât feel scared.
- Go to office hours
We need doctors who are as diverse as the populations they serve. We need doctors who care about other people. We need doctors who read books and make art. We need doctors who believe in the art of medicine. We need doctors who are committed to social justice. We need doctors who are healthy, happy and unabashedly human.
Both essays are for to be considered for the semifinalist phase where Baylor U will invite the semifinalists to Waco for its meet and greet B2B competition. After that one-day event (the past few years they went virtual and have been shortened), the semifinalists would have to submit an essay to advance to the finalist phase. They have a couple of weeks to do this. Once selected as finalist, the applicant would have to submit another essay for BCM.
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After NU/HPME,BU/SMED, Rice/Baylor BSMD programs being chopped recently, who is next on the chopping block in future ? May be PSU/PMM, NJMS, UoR/REMS, Brown/PLME, IMO.
All this is just speculation and are just assumptions. So in that spirit here is my take about BSMD programs being scrapped:
If we closely look at the BSMD programs scrapped, they are generally higher ranked schools⊠or those who dont need a BSMD program to increase its number of applications or lower its acceptance rate or such numbers.
Northwestern HPME
BU SMED
Rice Baylor
So personally I dont think PSU PMM may be scrapped. The same with NJMS. Though you never know what happens.
If any programs may be scrapped it is the ones that fit into the mold of the already scrapped ones â so Brown PLME or URoch REMS.
However all these are just assumptions!
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